Risk of Death higher article on website news items

[Paul_c]

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2012...normal-weight-diabetes-patients-99891047.html

The finding comes from new analysis of five previous studies that involved more than 2,600 participants with type 2 diabetes aged 40 and over. Of these, 12 per cent were of normal weight (BMI of 18.5 to 24.99) when diagnosed with the disease.

During the follow-up period, a total of 449 participants died: 178 from cardiovascular causes and 253 from non-cardiovascular causes (18 were not classified).

scary numbers...the blurb on the front doesn't 1) give a link to the study itself or 2) give any idea how long the follow-up period was.

Even so, for 449 participants to die out of 2,600 participants is scary. It would be really helpful to know how many years that took and also how many of the initial normal weight T2's died.

 

[dawnmc]

Wow, whats the point then in trying to control blood sugars. Are they just scaremongering or what, there are no proper facts in that at all.

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Paul,

There is a better article here on the thread I started.
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=31964

 

[Grazer]

Reading the article on Catherine's link, I'm not so sure it's as bad as it sounds.
The article said Total deaths were 284 per 10000person years, with NON-cvd deaths 198 per 10000 (amongst the not overweight group)
That means to me, 86 of the 10000 were cvd (diabetes) related.
If my maths is right, that means thgat is the EQUIVALENT of 8.6% of the people in the study dying in a 10 year period; I say equivalent because they don't say how many years the study is over, but 8.6 people out of a 1000 dying in 10 years is the same as 8.6 people out of 2000 dying in 5 years (which would be 4.3% in 5 years)
This figure of 8.6% doesn't sound awful or suprising. It doesn't say what drugs they were on, or how well controlled, but as the MAJORITY of diabetics aren't keeping to low A1cs according to stats, wer can assume that many of these weren't. The study also said that the results applied more to older people (higher mortality anyway) and more to "black and asian people" who are more likely to be normal weight anyway. Black people are known to have higher A1c per average BG rate (black people have higher glycation rates) and Asians normally have worse BG control because of their diet (rice based)
So overall, as a well controlled type 2, I don't fear those stats at all. NON diabetics who are slightly overweight at my age (sprightly o0ver 60 ) are shown to have a 15% chance of a cardio vascular episode in a ten year period anyway!

 

[dawnmc]

So why do they print garbage, its diabolical, scaremongering and dangerous. Esp for those who live alone or are worried anyway. They might even think that theres no point living.

 

[xyzzy]

It seems to suggest Type2's who were diagnosed at normal weight are the ones who run the risk rather than those who were overweight and then lost weight. They are suggesting normal weight people who develop T2 may have a different genetic profile.

To see an official DUK response you can read it and some more stuff here:

http://www.webmd.boots.com/diabetes/news/20120808/normal-weight-diabetes-risk

There seems no mention of ongoing hBA1c being one of the risk factors just that participants were selected based on having a diabetic fasting level. Unfortunately it costs £19 to see the full study so unless someone is a subscriber to JAMA and can let us know the details then there is very little to comment on.

 

[Unbeliever]

All I can say is GRRRRRRRRR. Its fairly obvious that those of us who are of normal weigh upon diagnosis - and who have always beenof normal weight have a diferent genetic make up to those who are overweight or obese.

Typical patronising cr-p from DUK in reply. I note.

From my personal experience it is a positive disadvantage to be of normal weight. It is not we the patient who are complacent but the HCPs.
8f you are not overweight then they are at a total loss. This obsession with confusing obesity and diabetes and treating them as the same thing from the same causes does noone any favours.

If you are of normal weigh metformin tends not to work as well and the side effects are greater. yes they are anxious to ge you onto insulin but I have to wonder if this is because it makes you gain weight and they like this - you become a "real " diabetic then - someone they can cope with.

WWhy on earth should we be complacent. We see everywhere hat diabetes is caused by obesity. We are of normal weight.
We know that it is not the cause of our diabetes so right from the beginning on diagnosis we are aware that "they" don;t know what caused it and soon become aware that they haven't much of a clue how to treat it either.

I will never forget the increasingly glummer expressionds on the faces of the diabeted doctor and nurse when I said i had never smoked onky drank occasionally had beeen on a GI diet for years - on top of verging on underweight.
When glimepiride caused me to gain some weight they were positively pleased.

No we have no reason to be complacent. Many of the new advances etc don't seem to apply to us . Diets are fairly irrelevant
as we can't check visceral fat for ourselves and don't have the visual reassurance of losing weight.

Its just another proof that T2 is an umbrella term for many other conditions and they don't appear o be much closer to tailoring treatments to any of them.

I work very hard at my diet and exercise. I am etremely carb intolerant . If I don't watch my diet and exercise daily my bgs
rise despite medication.


The current thinking according to my GP is to have all T2s on insulin as they seem to think this is an easier option than trying to deal with so many variants . Easier for whom? It will be the one-size-fits -all mentality again just ransferred o insulin.

I don't trust hem . I would rather take my chances with he medication - toxic as some of it is thean allow people who dont understand my disease to prescribe stuff which could kill me in a moment.

I am sure we are a greaer risk because the retment we are given is probably entirely inappropriate and possibly makes the condition worse..

All this is the origin of my username. They don't have a clue and if you are not overweight this is immediately apparent.
As I said Grrrrrrrr.

 

[desidiabulum]

As usual, I ditto what Unbeliever says. I do have access to JAMA and the original article, but it would break copyright for me to download content here -- but if people have any specific questions about content I can answer them once I can find time to read it. :roll: